On the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a direct and open appeal to Donald Trump: don’t walk away.
Speaking to CNN from the presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said he wants the US president to stay on Kyiv’s side as Ukraine continues its fight against Russia.
“They have to stay with a democratic country which is fighting against one person,” Zelenskyy told CNN. “Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It’s all about himself. It’s all about one person.”
With the conflict entering its fifth year, Zelenskyy stressed that the United States remains too powerful and too important to step back from supporting Ukraine. He said he hopes Trump will reaffirm backing for Kyiv during his upcoming State of the Union address.
Asked whether Trump is putting enough pressure on Putin, Zelenskyy replied: No.
While reiterating that he wants the war to end as soon as possible, Zelenskyy rejected the idea of conceding to Russian demands.
“We can’t just give him everything he wants. Because he wants to occupy us,” he told CNN. “If we will give him all he wants, we will lose everything — all of us, people will have to run away or be Russian.”
“I want (a) very specific answer: what partners will be ready to do if Putin will come again. This is what Ukrainians want to hear,” he said, dismissing suggestions that Russia would simply not launch another invasion. “This is not the answer to me. I’m sorry.”
The war, triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, cities destroyed and hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides killed or wounded.
On the battlefield, Ukraine claimed a rare gain. Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces had restored control over 400 square kilometres along a stretch of the southern frontline, according to news agency Reuters.
Diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Recent US-brokered talks in Geneva failed to produce a breakthrough, though another round of negotiations may take place later this week.
As US support has shifted, European countries have stepped up, though internal divisions persist. Behind closed doors in Brussels, Hungary’s foreign minister faced criticism from EU counterparts, diplomats told Reuters, amid concerns that political calculations could weaken the bloc’s unified stance.
(With inputs from agencies)
